PORT ANGELES — After a two-year layoff, the team of Hammer Down returned this weekend to win the two-person team category in the return of the Big Hurt.
A total of 42 two- and four-person teams and 40 individuals competed in the four-leg 53-mile-long endurance event in and around Port Angeles put on by Peninsula Adventure Sports. The Big Hurt consisted of a 14-mile mountain bike race beginning in the hills above Port Angeles, a 3-mile kayak race through Port Angeles Harbor, a 30-mile road cycling race out to Freshwater Bay and back to the city and a 10K run east of the city and back.
How tough is this race? Roughly 20 percent of the competitors were not able to finish. Thirty-five teams and 32 individuals toughed out the course to finish.
“Having never done anything like it, it was one of the best experiences of my life. It was so well run, so well put together. Thank you to all the volunteers who made it a breeze at each transition,” said Neilia Kinney of Lakewood, who finished fifth among the women.
Hammer Down, which won the two-person team race in 2019 and 2018, came back to make it a trifecta with a winning time of 3 hours, 47 minutes, 25 seconds, nearly 40 minutes ahead of second place.
Incredibly, the best time of anyone, individual or team, was a solo competitor. The ironman winner was Michael Finley, who finished all four legs in a time of 3:43.34. Second place was a very solid effort by Eric Holmlund, who also finished in under four hours in a time of 3:50.24. Holmlund was the 2018 and 2017 Ironman winner.
The race started out close as Finley had the top time in the mountain bike (56:09), coming in to the City Pier only 27 seconds ahead of Holmlund, who was seven minutes ahead of third place.
Finley had to the top time in the kayak (41:06) and the road bike (1:21.41). Holmlund had the top time in the 10K run (42:17), but Finley had too big of a lead, finishing the run with a solid second-best time of 44:38 to fend off Holmlund.
The ironwoman open winner was Jess Henderson, who finished in a time of 5:31.18. Henderson specialized in the bike and cycling events. She had the top time in the mountain bike (1:12.51) and the road bike (2:07.32), building up a 17½-minute lead in these two events.
While Henderson won the open event, Jeannine Mackie, running in the Masters Ironwoman category, had the best overall women’s time at 5:23.12.
Juliette Kern, who finished third overall, had the best kayak time at 46:08. The best run was by Katherine Peterson in a time of 1:01.00.
In the three- to four-person team event, the winner was Mixed Businesses in a time of 3:51:20. Mixed Businesses won by nearly nine minutes with solid times in all four events, though this team only won the mountain bike leg (53:03). Winning the kayak was At Least We Have Alyson in a time of 33:40.
Second-place team The Pandammits had the best road cycling time (1:26.49). Wendel Jeans won the 10K leg with a time of 39:22.
The best high school team was the NJROTC Pollywogs with a time of 4:44:39 and the best ironman masters (age 50-plus) competitor was Todd Cowles with a time of 4:30.25. The top ironwoman was Jeannine Mackie, who finished with a time of 5:23:12.
The best masters team was Old Fart Racing with a time of 4:22.57. This team also won in 2019.
The Big Hurt is the fifth of six outdoor events put on by Peninsula Adventure Sports. The next is the PNW Extreme Cyclocross event at the Extreme Sports Park on Nov. 27-28. Cyclocross is a sport in which cyclists race through an obstacle course, sometimes having to pick up their bike and carry it.
The Big Hurt
Saturday, Sept. 25
Top 10 results
Tandem team — Hammer Down, first, 3:47.25; Camel T2B, second, 4:26.52; Team Berry, third, 4:37.22; Douglut, fourth, 4:38.31; The Iron Frogs, fifth, 5:28.18; Monkey’s Uncle, sixth, 5:56.00; SWx2, seventh, 5:57.50; Loca Grit, eighth, 5:58.41; Party Pace, ninth, 6:34.24.
High School Team — NJROTC Pollywogs, first, 4:44.39; NJROTC Shellbacks, second, 4:49.00.
Open Team — Mixed Businesses, first, 3:51.20; The Pandammits, second, 3:59.56; Wendel Jeans, third, 4:05.21; At Least We Have Alyson, fourth, 4:11.36; Full Tilt Boogie, fifth, 4:15.40; The Bald and the Beautiful, sixth, 4:17.01; Flank Speed, seventh, 4:20.36; Subalpine Tees Race Team, eighth, 4:31.20; Toxic Masculinity, ninth, 4:52.23; Aging Tonys Plus One, 10th, 4:52.23.
Team Masters — Old Fart Racing, first, 4:22.57; 265, second, 4:39.25; How Time Slides Slugs, third, 4:57.31; GC2021, fourth, 6:13.44.
Open Ironman — Michael Finley, first, 3:43.34; Eric Holmlund, second, 3:50.24; Bryan Nelson, third, 4:08.13; Kevin Fischer, fourth: 4:22.52; Chris Morgan, fifth, 4:32.11; Tom Nelson, sixth, 4:32.14; Matthew Kiddle, seventh, 4:44.29; Ryan Akiyama, eighth, 4:47.56; Rob Briggs, ninth, 4:52.11; Lionel Hochart, 10th, 4:57.40.
Open Ironwoman — Jess Henderson, first, 5:31.18; Molly Booth, second, 5:43.40; Juliette Kern, third, 5:53.42; Allison Cameron, fourth, 6:21.57; Neilia Kinney, fifth, 6:21.57; Holly Shepherd, sixth, 6:22.48; Katherine Peterson, seventh, 6:49.34.
Masters Ironman — Todd Cowles, first, 4:30.25; Robin Sarner, second, 4:40.57; Derek Myers, third, 4:49.52; James Girton, fourth, 5:09.18; Tom Wahl, sixth, 6:09.52.
Masters Ironwoman — Jeannine Mackie, first, 5:23.12.
